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Alaskan residents who watched as wildfires claimed a record 10,000 square miles (26,00 square kilometers) of land in 2004 can take cold comfort in the fact that the choking smoke endured during wildfire season could blunt some of the effects of global warming. Researchers from the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) analyzed the short-term climatic impact of smoke from wildfires that swept Alaska and western Canada in 2004, burning 22,000 square miles (57,000 square kilometers) in total. They report in the Journal of Geophysical Research that the billowing clouds may have a cooling effect on the Arctic, where dwindling ice sheets have researchers worried about the potential for sudden climate changes to come. They say that smoke carried north on the wind absorbs some of the sun's rays and perhaps lessens the impact of global warming for weeks or months at a time, to a degree that depends on the soot's thickness, the sun's elevation and the brightness of the surface (ground or water). They note signs that the 2004 wildfires had atmospheric effects as far north as Greenland and the islands above Norway and down south to the Gulf of Mexico. The only hitch: Particles that land on snow or ice might actually cause it to melt faster. Still, NOAA says, it's possible the Arctic might benefit if the wildfires intensified—a distinct possibility as global warming leads to drier summers up north.

2 Comments

1. 1. shopa 09:15 PM 10/31/08

   Please forward this comment to Gov. Schwarzenegger!
   
   I have invented a new way to fight wildfires.
   
   Electric wires are coupled with hoses or pipes. Booster pumps are added as needed and are powered via the wires. Water can be pumped over many miles.
   
   Communication wires also are coupled to the hose, and a data network monitors and controls the pumps.
   
   The scheme can be used as a new way to fight wildfires. The electric pumps can replace fire trucks for "relay pumping". I have designed a helicopter based system for deploying hoses that can deliver water to fires that are many miles from a source of water.
   
   If a PVC pipe with embedded wires is laid on the ground, the invention can be used as a low cost method to bring water, electric power, and communications to towns and villages that are suffering from droughts caused by climate change.
   
   Please see my website www.safersmallcars.com
   
   I need help developing these patent pending ideas.

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2. 2. shopa 09:16 PM 10/31/08

   Many Americans want low cost, fuel efficient cars.
   
   Kei cars are a special class of cars in Japan. They are limited to an engine size of 660cc and have vehicle size, but not weight, restrictions. They are made by many different Japanese car companies and they are mature designs that are reliable, and get up to 60 mpg. They can cost less than $10,000.
   
   If these cars were converted to hybrids, they might get 100 mpg.
   
   However, they can't be driven in the U.S. because they can't meet U.S. crash test requirements.
   
   I believe that adding my crumple box invention to a Kei car will allow it to pass U.S. safety requirements. Then it could be driven in the U.S.
   
   On my website I have calculations that show that my invention can reduce the g forces from side impacts from the current 85 g standard to only 20 g's.
   
   The invention can do better for rear impacts because the rear bumper can stick out farther than a side bumper. The length of a crumple zone is a critical factor in reducing g forces.
   
   Some American auto companies have ties to Kei car manufacture. They could make these cars.
   
   Please help me promote this idea.
   
   See my website www.safersmallcars.com
   
   

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